Digital Pitchforks

Dr. Frankenstein's monster is blamed for killing a little girl. Angry villagers grab pitchforks and light torches. They run off to extract vengeance on the monster.

This is Your Humble Blogger's media-driven notion of an angry, destructive mob. A few days ago, we nearly had an online version of this as Reddit users convinced one another that a Brown University student who recently went missing was one of the Boston Marathon bombers. An ugly incident of the young man and his family was averted, and Reddit management apologized. NPR reports on this story.

Questions...

•What are all the constructive ways the public can get involved in something like the Boston Marathon Bombing?

•How should the public not get involved?

•What are other examples of rumors spread over the Internet?

•Could cyberwar include malicious rumor-spreading? If so, what type of rumors?